The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1887-04-21
OUR NEW YORK KETTER.
A LITERARY CHAT ABOUT MRS.
MARY MAPES DODGE.
POPULARITY OF A NORTH CAROLINl
AUTHORIZES.
New Books and Comments Thereon
Alexander versus Grant-Putnam'
Sons Popular Forthcoming
Works, etc, etc.
Sp6c5aE correspOndcnce Of tie GOtd Leaf.
New YORK, April IT, I88 :

| Sp6cGgE cOrrespOndence Of tie cold Leaf.
New YORK, April IT, 1887.
It is not unnatural that thc newspa-
per paragraphs currently circulated by
sentimental correspondents concern
! ing the health of Mrs. Mary Mapes
/ Dodge should give her friends through
! out the country Cause for alarm. Not
withstanding the apparent authorita-
tivenesS Of these reports, the author of
''Ir-ington Stories" and Hans Brink
err is rapidly gaining her former good
health. During Mrs. Dodge's sojourn
/ in Europe last summer. whittier she
. had gone for rest neCessitated by too
close application to editorial work, she
sustained what was at first thought to
be serious injuries from falling off the
front steps OF Friends residence in the
suburbs Of London. But careful nurs-
ing and skltul medical treatment have
removed me injury which resulted to
the right arm and the consequent shock
ito her constitution. One Of the most
successful books Mrs. Dodge has writ
ten is "Hans BrInker; or the Silver
Skates" which has gone through many
editions in America, and been trans
lated into Dutch, German, Russian,
French and Italian. The French
Academy awarded her prize of 1900
francs. "Theophllus and Others !"
came next, followed by "Miss Malony;
or The Chinese Question" and "Along
the Way" a collection of verses.
Mrs. Dodge now visits her editorial
office one day of each week, and the
work attendant upon her position as
editor of ST. Nicholas is entirely car
ried on under her supervision. She
employs four assistants to do the i'm
mense amount of necessary clerical
work, but Judgment upon the many
manuscripts which reach her office is
passed in every instance by her. The
bulk of her work IS done at her apart
ments in the Navarro flats, on West
Fiftv-ninth street, near Central Park,
New York, where she has an amanuen-
sis constantly with her, and to whom
everything is dictated. Mrs. Dodge's
entire time and attention is devoted to
her work upon the ST. Nicholas maga-
zine, and it is not probable that admir-
ers of her wholesome writings, will
read anything from her pen for some
time to come except through its col
umns. Through h this magazine, Mrs.
Dodge has become the beloved per
sonal friend of a hundred thousand
children.
Messrs, Nicolay and Hay have been
engaged for many years in making q
complete collection of the writings o
Abraham Lincoln, and it will doubt
less surprise many persons who know
the great President as a model of brew
ity and COnCiseness, to find how large
in quantity and how varied in quality
is the aggregate of his writings. These
fill some three to five octave volumes
including his speeches, addresses, state
papers, his public letters, his private
correspondence. great part of whlcl
is up to this time unpublished; his of
fetal opinions and memoranda upol
some of the most important events o
the war; and some very curious an(
interesting miscellaneous pieces. II
connection with his correspondence
will be printed many hitherto unpub
lished letters from prominent persons
which are necessary to a full under
standing of Mr.. Lincoln's own letters
The works will be accompanied wit
elaborate notes, historical and explain
atory. As | am informed, they vii
be published shortly by the Centn,
Co., and will be sold independently c
the Life of Lincoln by Nicholay ant
Hay.
There was put into my hands fey
days since a unique volume of poem:
} elaborately gotten up, bearing tn
title: Poems of the Rod and Gun,
by Isaac Mcclellan. The author {
this volume has the peculiar distinctio
+ among the choir of singers of being
$ successful Nimrod, able to exact th
exploits he celebrates by food and fielc
The earliest part of his career was cor
temporary with Longtellow, Willis an
" Hawthorne, his birthplace being Por
land, famous for the nativity of I'll
two poets. In Bowdoin College h
was in the next class to Longtellov
Hawthorne and Cheever, and h
friendly relations with them continue
e while they lived. He was a favorlt
u with Daniel Webster when the gre;
' statesman and lawyer laid aside th
cares of his profession, and unbent h
e spirit with the sports of the rod an
:, gun. The volume before me, contain
e as the title indicates, the poets spor
ing verses, which take a pretty VIC
range, treating of nearly every form
the chase and its topics. The Plec'